NOVEL NEXT Chapter 352 - A Reckless Escape
The video call ended, and Xiang Ning, resting her chin in her hand, gazed at the empty screen, her eyes were filled with a stubborn resolve.
"Fan Li said there's no need to worry about Sage Ruler Han Yue? But Master Qing Qiu once said that the Sword Dao is the path of slaughter, that Han Yue's swordsmanship is particularly fierce and deadly. If I don't learn how to counter it, what if she becomes Fan Li's enemy? That would be disastrous!"
"No! I must protect Fan Li. After all, he's my… minister." A blush warmed her cheeks, and a sweet smile touched her lips. She imagined herself rescuing him from danger, a true heroine. She giggled, wondering how he would express his gratitude.
"I'm going to the Pure Land today!" Her decision made, she began to prepare.
News of Han Yue's rebellion, her re-establishment of the Pure Land, had spread throughout Great Ci. Even Xiang Ning had heard the rumors: over a hundred swordswomen had left Great Ci to join Han Yue, who now offered daily lectures on the Dao of the Sword to all who entered the new Pure Land.
"If I disguise myself as a sword cultivator and infiltrate the Pure Land, I can listen to her lectures. With Master Qing Qiu's previous teachings, I should be able to devise a counter-strategy eventually."
Xiang Ning was a woman of action. Seeing that the sun was high in the sky, she began to pack. As night fell, it seemed even the heavens were on her side. Dark clouds obscured the moon and stars, cloaking the world in a veil of darkness. It was a perfect night for an escape.
Under cover of darkness, Xiang Ning slipped out of her courtyard. Success! No one had noticed. She ran towards the new Pure Land, a single thought driving her: to protect Fan Li. She hadn't considered, however, how she would return.
"I'm… so tired… But I must persevere! For Fan Li… no, for the Great Chu! I can do this!" She ran from the Great Ci capital towards Mount Danxue, the heart of the new Pure Land, a considerable distance. Even with her Nascent Soul cultivation, she was exhausted. But her efforts were rewarded. She had successfully escaped the capital and was now approaching her destination.
"That was… surprisingly easy… I should have just run back to Great Chu… I'm exhausted. Fan Li will have to reward me handsomely for this… or I'll cry." She was congratulating herself when a chill ran down her spine. A golden light, bright as day, suddenly illuminated the darkness.
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"Finished running?" A cold voice, laced with a hint of triumph, stopped her in her tracks.
Xiang Ning instantly recognized the speaker. She had few acquaintances in Great Ci, let alone friends. And this woman… she was the first Sage Ruler Xiang Ning had met: Jin De.
"No! Why is it her?!" Terror seized her, but she continued to run. Jin De's voice was close, but the Sage Ruler herself hadn't arrived yet.
"Still trying to escape? Do you truly believe you can outrun me? I've been watching you. I allowed you to escape. If you die out here, it's your own fault. I thought you were running back to Great Chu. Why are you heading towards the Pure Land?"
Ten miles ahead, Xiang Ning could see it – the shimmering veil of the Zhu Xian Sword Formation. With her Nascent Soul enhanced vision, she knew escape was impossible. A Sage Ruler behind her, a powerful formation ahead. The rumors she had heard, the fragmented information gleaned from the streets, hadn't prepared her for this.
"What do I do? Jin De is right behind me! How do I enter the Pure Land? Am I going to die? Fan Li… Fan Li… Fan Li!!!" Terror overwhelmed her.
She could sense Jin De's aura, the golden light growing brighter. Capture was imminent. In her panic, she cried out Fan Li's name.
Would he come to save her? Of course not.
He was miles away, his clones scattered. Even if he heard her cries, it would be too late. To trespass into Great Ci's territory, even Empress Yao Guang might intervene personally.
But someone did intervene. A sword. Or rather, a sword intent, materialized between Xiang Ning and Jin De. Xiang Ning, still running, didn't even notice. But Jin De stopped, her advance halted by the chilling aura. To continue would be suicide.
"Han Yue! Do you truly intend to defy Great Ci?!" Jin De hissed, keeping her voice low, unwilling to reveal Han Yue's intervention to Xiang Ning. A single sword intent had stopped her in her tracks.
The sword intent, a manifestation of spiritual energy, offered no reply. Perhaps it couldn't speak. Or perhaps Han Yue simply disdained to respond. It remained a silent, unwavering barrier.
Jin De's face, usually beautiful, twisted in a mask of rage and frustration. But she dared not challenge the sword intent. She retreated.
"Han Yue! You have betrayed Elder Sister! You will pay for this!"
…
Xiang Ning, breathless but safe, finally reached the edge of the Pure Land. The veil of the Zhu Xian Sword Formation stood before her.
What now? This barrier, she couldn't possibly breach it. Had her desperate escape been in vain? Where was Jin De?
She glanced back, but there was no sign of the pursuing Sage Ruler, no golden light. "Did I… escape? Ah?!" Before she could finish, a powerful force pulled her towards the barrier. The world spun, and she lost consciousness.
She awoke the next morning, lying in a field, the veil of the formation now behind her. "Did I… fall asleep?" She looked around, disoriented. She was inside the new Pure Land.
"The way of the sword encompasses both the tangible and the intangible. To be unburdened by form is to glimpse the entrance. The unity of person and sword is the path to mastery. To forget both self and sword is to reach the pinnacle…"
A gentle voice, both near and far, whispered in her ear. Xiang Ning realized it was Han Yue, lecturing on the Dao of the Sword. If she followed the voice, she would find her.
She set off.